Ah yes, the Goji berry; the search term peaked on Google around 2014 when it was suddenly touted as a secret weight loss fruit. Unfortunately, people soon realized that eating copious amounts of Goji berries did not result in rapid weight loss. Who knew! Sadly the trend “dried off” and in recent years many people still don’t know much about this unique fruit. At the very least, Goji berry farmers must be wondering what on earth happened, since the Goji berry benefits have not changed. P.S: if you are looking for herbs for weight loss, we have an article on that here.

Native to regions in Mongolia and China mostly, it’s been used in eastern medicine for thousands of years and it took until 2014 for it to really peak for the health benefits. Because it’s not been mentioned for a while, we thought we would dive into some interesting health features of the Goji berry that have been neglected. Did you know that Goji berries have more than 500 times more vitamin C per weight than oranges?

Goji berries have some remarkable hidden benefits. Full of the mysterious anti-oxidants, they are excellent for digestion and skin health. Let’s take a look at this illustrious fruit and how you can use it for your everyday wellness.

1. Goji Berry Benefits Anti-Aging

This phrase gets thrown around a lot, but what does it really mean and how does it ‘anti-age’ exactly? Well, we age due to our reaction to oxygen. DNA is damaged by things called free radicals. Sounds bad, but it’s actually just the biological (and natural) byproducts that our bodies produce by simply existing. By living and breathing oxygen, our cells are. Anti-oxidants protect against the damage caused by free radicals. Anti-aging was the layman term spun off by marketing gurus to describe this phenomena.

Goji berries, surprisingly also contain amino acids that aid our bodies utilize for growth and the healing of cells.

2. Goji Berries Are Great For Your Eyes

Granted you can’t magically heal eyes that have had excess trauma or those with seriously degraded vision. But, strained and slowly worsening eyesight have been know to be improved by the intake of Goji Berries. Indeed, studies are currently being done on the berry to dive deeper into the effect of polysaccharides (see study) which supposedly help nerves of the eye. And so there appears to be some merit to the theory.

Goji Berries are packed with a substance called carotenoids. These are again, strong anti-oxidants that the body helps convert into Vitamin A, a vitamin present in many eye health complexes. The berry also contains concentrated doses of carotenoid zeaxanthin which has been touted for its apparent ability to to protect eyes from damage caused by oxidation (study here).

Again, these claims are probably open to further study, however, the research looks quite promising, and either way, it’s certainly more than your average strawberry in terms of the potential health benefits.

3. It’s a Nootropic Hackers Dream Snack

Nootropics are essentially study drugs. Due to high levels of B-vitamins (think energy drinks) – they are great for an energy boost by vitamin content, let alone the natural sugar boost present in berries. They also play a large role in the regulation of the nervous system, that has been scientifically researched and confirmed to be effective on humans. Some people think that Goji berries can therefore assist with mental clarity, or notably, get your through a long day at work.

4. Goji Berries Are a Great Healthy Snack

One of the reasons they’re used in offices is because they are a great way to boost energy levels in a healthy fashion. Goji berries are very rich in essential mineral and other nutrients such as B-Vitamins that play a important role in energy production.

They make you feel naturally more awake and are perfect when combined with a natural fat source like almonds. Goji berries can beat the fatigue no matter the cause. Here’s a more detailed look at some of the great nutrients that are present in Goji berries.

B and E vitamins – play a crucial role in the metabolism of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates into energy. The list vitamins in Goji berries include vitamins B-1, B-2, B-6 and vitamin E.

Fiber – these little power berries are a dense fiber source, meaning that you’ll be much more regular and have better gut health if you include them regularly in your diet.

Zinc – is essential for hundreds of enzymatic processes inside the human body including protein digestion and synthesis of hormones necessary for healthy thyroid function.

Iron – Iron is a facilitator of the transport of oxygen to our entire body; including organs, muscles, and other tissues, that’s why we get tired when our iron levels are low. Older women often struggle with iron depletion, and combined with its calcium levels, make it great for people in that category.

Calcium – we all know what calcium is good for. Plus it aids in regulation of our hormonal system.

Amino acids – Goji berries contain 18 full amino acids, which includes all eight essential amino acids and this is pretty unique for a fruit.

5. Blood-glucose Level Regulators

The spike in blood-glucose levels isn’t as drastic as with most fruits. Obviously, being a natural sugar, it contains a high amount of fructose which will raise blood levels – so limit your quantities if you’re a diabetic, but that’s not to say it cannot be enjoyed by those with diabetes. Based on research online, this berry appears to be safely enjoyed by diabetics.

The berry has a GI value of just 29 (for comparison sake, less than 40 is a considered a very low GI carb). They therefore provide slow release energy. FYI, a bowl of old fashioned oat meal, has a GI of about 57. Who would have thought that? Just google it.

6. They Can Support The Immune System

Goji berry benefits the immune system due to its high Carotenoid beta-carotene and high amino-acid Cystine content, making them highly regarded for their effect on the immune system. As we know, they’re also high in vitamin C and Zinc, the reason any ‘immune booster” supplement is allowed to legally claim they are good for beating a flu. Since these 2 things are really the only data driven ingredients on earth that higher doses of actually work in getting better faster.

Goji berries have traditionally been used to this effect for 100s of years, in addition, the natural polysaccharides within Goji berries have been shown to stimulate increased immune function.

7. Reduce Risk of Heart Disease

Studies have shown that it’s the high anti-oxidant properties of the berry that protect red blood cells from lipid peroxidation. This process is a known cause of heart disease. It’s well known that the connection between heart disease and diet is substantial and the natural benefits and nutrition profile of the berry lends itself to better blood flow, muscle function and quality of blood that leads to health heart function.

Nothing can ‘prevent’ heart disease, but you can lower your risk.

8. Cleanse A Fatty Liver

Goji berries have been known to help reduce fatty deposits on the liver, otherwise known as ‘fatty liver’. Those that are big alcohol drinkers, obese, steroid users and the generally poor diet population can pretty much be assured that you have some form of fatty deposit on your liver.

Goji berries contain a substance called betaines which are the key behind its history of liver health. They are neutral chemical compounds that can help cleanse or detox a fatty liver caused by bad lifestyle habits.

9. More Vitamin-C than Oranges

This is something that’s often touted as one of the best Goji berry benefits, but it’s not like most of us lack Vitamin-C in our diets. But saying that, it’s still a unique factor; the Goji berry has, by weight, more than 500 times the potency of vitamin C than an orange. It seems to be always a trend to compare fruits high in vitamin C to those of an orange, because it’s the fruit we typically associate with being the highest.

If you’re going down with a cold or flu, eating Goji berries can give you body the tools needed to fight off an infection.

10. Improves Overall Wellbeing

Overall, the goal of adding anything to our diet is to have a positive impact on our general health. Goji berries contain such a diverse range of minerals, micro-nutrients, vitamins, and even amino acids and oils that their impact on the health of our human bodies is quite profound. Like the blueberry, the goji berry is just a real super food that even science has said just makes you feel better.